I recommend that doc lovers see every Errol Morris film that is released, and Tabloid is no exception.

While I think this film lacks some of the larger context of Morris films like The Fog of War and some of the character insights of his films like Mr. Death and A Brief History of Time, his films are always worth watching.

This documentary examines a lurid story about an obsessive love affair, a kidnapping, a possible rape, and the tabloid coverage of these events in the 1970s.  If that’s not enough to spark your interest, the subject of Tabloid, Joyce McKinney, has a North Carolina connection.

While I would like the film to possess a little more context about tabloid culture (the way The Fog of War provides new insights into the American war in Vietnam), it’s an interesting narrative and, of course, Morris’ films are always engaging visually.

Morris has been important historically in the documentary world for bringing a formalistic aesthetic into the genre full-force.  He uses all the tools in the filmmaking toolkit and employs them with expertise.